Phillies prospect Ranger Suarez to make MLB debut on Thursday

By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly Staff 

The Philadelphia Phillies host the Los Angeles Dodgers through Wednesday before hitting the road for a six-game road trip with stops in Cincinnati and Boston. The Phillies' rotation is still recovering from Sunday's doubleheader and they need a starter for Thursday's game in Cincy. It looks like it'll be 22-year-old southpaw Ranger Suarez making his Major League debut against the Reds.

Ranger Suarez to make major league debut in Cincy for Phillies on Thursday. He will start vs. Reds

— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyNBCS) July 24, 2018

Suarez, ranked as the Phillies' 9th best prospect by MLB.com, has made a steady climb up the organizational ladder since being signed back in 2012 out of Venezuela. At the end of June, he was promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after posting a 2.76 ERA in 12 starts with Reading. Since his move up to the Ironpigs, he's made three starts, allowing just one earned run in 15.2 innings of work while striking out 12 and walking four.

This is likely just a one-time spot start for the left-hander. Enyel De Los Santos is starting on Tuesday night for Lehigh Valley, so Thursday is Suarez's regular turn in the rotation. In 81 minor league appearances (69 starts), Suarez is 27-17 with a 2.16 ERA.